Once upon a time, before currency was invented, exchange of goods and services survived on a barter system. Today, when when is considerably unstable and monetary crisis is looming throughout the world, barter may be a more predictable exchange. And in a nod to that, Apmex, one of the nation’s largest and most active precious metal dealers has traded three 32-ounce gold bars with Donald Trump in exchange for a 10-year lease for 40 Wall Street’s 50th floor valued at a security deposit of about $176,000. This trade also sets a record as it is the first time the Trump Organization has accepted 99.9% pure gold bullion.

Trump confirms reports and explains, “It’s a sad day when a large property owner starts accepting gold instead of the dollar. The economy is bad, and Obama’s not protecting the dollar at all….If I do this, other people are going to start doing it, and maybe we’ll see some changes.”